On October 15 2021, the South African Police Service launched the National Safer Festive Season Operations under the theme: “Extending our reach through blue light visibility”. The annual Safer Festive Season operations are aimed at ensuring the safety of all within the borders of South Africa, over the holiday period.
Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele will inspect these operations as he embarks on an annual inspection tour of the festive season operations by the SAPS in all nine provinces.
The Nationwide Safer Festive Season Inspection Tour will kick-off in the Limpopo province on Monday 13 December 2021 and end in KwaZulu-Natal at the end of the year. Minister Cele, together with the SAPS management team at national and the respective provinces, will assess the effectiveness of the resources channelled to areas where they are most needed, to ensure police deal decisively with persistent crimes. The visit forms part of overall efforts by the South African Police Service, to tighten the grip on contact and violent crimes this festive season.
Aligned with the theme: “Extending our reach through blue light visibility” The Nationwide Safer Festive Season Inspection Tour will focus on visible policing and conducting special crime awareness and prevention operations; targeting crimes prevalent during the festive period such as: Gender Based Violence and crimes against children, border security, and contravention of road and traffic regulations.
Minister Cele says every safer festive season plan is unique to the province.
“We once again usher in the festive season during a pandemic that has been devastating to our country, during this time, police will continue to ensure maximum compliance of the regulations, to minimize the spread of the virus. We know that criminals will try and take advantage of this time that is usually categorized by festivities, social gatherings and leisure. While we urge South Africans to remain alert and be aware of their surroundings at all times to avoid being easy targets for criminals, the country’s officers in blue in all provinces will be at hand. Their respective safer festive season plans are already in full swing and will be intensified as the year comes to a close. These plans are not a one-size-fits-all, instead the operations are tailored to the needs of the province and are based on their crime situations. I am sure the police will give criminals a hard time and squeeze out the space for anyone with criminal intent.” – concluded Cele.
The Safer Festive Season operations are set to continue until 31 January 2022.
SAFER FESTIVE SEASON VISIBILITY INSPECTION TOUR
LIMPOPO
Date: 13 December 2021
MPUMALANGA
Date: 14 December 2021
NORTH WEST
Date: 15 December 2021
GAUTENG
Date: 16 December 2021
FREE STATE
Date: 17 December 2021
NORTHERN CAPE
Date: 18 December 2021
WESTERN CAPE
Date: 20 December 2021
EASTERN CAPE
Date: 21 December 2021
KWAZULU-NATAL
Date: 22 December 2021
The SAPS National Safer Festive Season operations are set to continue until 31 January 2022.
Source: South African Police Service